As camcorders continue to shrink, so has the venerable teleprompter -- to the size of an iphone. Bodelin Technologies has created an iPhone app and several accessories that turn an iphone or iPod Touch into a teleprompter.
Today's DealNN deals include a variety of GPS units, external hard drives, digital camcorders and more. First up is the Magellan Maestro 3200 GPS unit. It is regularly priced at $149.99, but for this week only it is reduced to $94.99. Features include a 3.5-inch color touchscreen display, turn-by-turn voice guidance and SmartDetour that automatically navigates out out traffic jams or stopped freeway traffic.
Canon launched its 2009 VIXIA line this year at CES with several storage options that range from pure flash to hard drives to MiniDV. The line-up includes the HF S10, a 32GB internal flash memory camcorder with an external SDHC slot, the HF S100, the HF S10's cousin which lacks the internal flash memory, using only an SDHC slot for storage, the HF20, offering 32GB internal flash memory and an SDHC slot, and the HF200 is similar to the 20 without the external SDHC slot. All four flash-based models get built-in face detection, which alerts the auto-focus mechanism to track people's faces and they all record at 24Mbps, the fastest bitrate possible for the AVCHD format.
Sony has announced a a variety of new camcorders, divided into hard drive-, flash- and DVD-based models. The hard drive models consist mainly of the HDR-XR520V, 500V, 200V and 100. Equipped with a CMOS sensor and a supplementary Memory Stick slot, each is capable of recording 1080p video and 12-megapixel stills; the 520V incorporates a 240GB hard drive, able to hold as much as 101 hours of video. The camera additionally includes a built-in GPS receiver for geotagging, and optical image stabilization.
Just ahead of CES, Sony took the opportunity to unveil two new cameras designed to capture and upload MP4 video and photos directly to the Web. The MHS-CM1 and MHS-PM1 Webbie HD cameras capture high-definition video (1440x1080/30p) and 5-megapixel still photos and automatically connect to websites via USB connection to your PC> The software makes it possible to quickly upload content online in a few simple clicks. Sony offers two portable designs in three colors—-eggplant, orange and silver.
Samsung Electronics has extended its line of full-HD digital camcorders with four new models - the HMX-H106, HMX-H105, HMX-H104, and HMX-H100. In addition to full HD video, the new H-Series offers a renowned Schneider Kreuznach Varioplan HD lens with Optical Image Stabilization, H.264 and internal Solid State Drives to provide onboard memory. Samsung's new flagship HMX-H106 features an internal 64GB Solid State Drive (SSD), increasing both write performance and dramatically reduces power consumption. The company claims that when actively reading and writing data, Samsung's SSD technology consumes approximately 1/8th of the power of a comparable HDD.
Flip Video on Tuesday announced a partnership with CafePress to offer customers a no-cost option of creating their own exterior color designs for Flip's Flip Mino camcorder. CafePress, which specializes in selling custom designs on products ranging from to coffee mugs to t-shirts, will allow users to create, share and sell designs for the camera. Users who upload their designs can then earn commissions for themselves based on sales, or donate them to non-profit causes.
Sanyo has launched its compact, lightweight Xacti HD1010, a full 1080i high-definition digital camcorder featuring "Face Chaser" face detection technology for both video and stills as well as a new slow-motion video mode at 60 fps and seven frames-per-second sequential shooting for action photography. The HD1010 features a 10x all-glass optical zoom, image stabilization, and a large 2.7-inch LCD; it takes 1920x1080 video at up to a slow-motion 300fps and 4-megapixel digital still images and records both to SD memory cards or SDHC cards up to 32GB.
In order to complement its HD camcorders, Panasonic has announced two standard-definition cameras, the SDR-SW20 and SDR-S7. The SW20 is dustproof, waterproof to a depth of five feet, and also shock-proof, albeit only to a height of four feet. It records to SD and SDHC cards up to 16GB in size, which at peak capacity allows for 13 hours and 20 minutes of video. The lens features 10x optical zoom, and the LCD display measures 2.7 inches.
Moving beyond the home theater sphere at CES, Panasonic has announced two new camcorders, the HDC-HS9 and SD9. Both are capable of recording AVCHD video at 1080p and 24fps, and are also equipped with 3CCD sensors and optical image stabilization. Onboard software detects faces automatically, and also analyzes situations for shooting problems; should it find any, it suggests corrections like better lighting or slower panning. Sound is recorded in 5.1 channels using five separate microphones, and output can be displayed on HDTVs using an HDMI cable.
In its second major wave of CES announcements, JVC has pulled the wraps off several new camcorders, and a collection of DVD/VCR combo devices. The camcorders are led by the 7.4-megapixel Everio GZ-MG730, which holds a 30GB hard drive, and uses a CCD sensor with a primary color filter. The main feature is said to be its double-use as a still camera, since it not only incorporates flash, but also shutter and aperture priority modes, exposure bracketing, backlight and spotlight compensation, and a histogram view.
Another Samsung product making an appearance at CES is the SC-HMX20C, a new digital camcorder. Unlike many such devices the 20C plays host to built-in flash memory, amounting to 8GB; this works in addition to any SDHC/MMC+ cards inserted into the camera. Video is recorded on a 6.4-megapixel CMOS sensor with electronic image stabilization, and is generally captured in 1080p at 30fps. The camera is also able to capture at 300fps in 10-second bursts, allowing the creation of slow-motion sequences.
Budget electronics maker DXG has released the DXG-566V HD (not pictured), its first entry-level HD camcorder. The 566V is a five megapixel model, and supports HD resolutions up to 720p at 30fps, and D1 resolutions up to 720x480 at the same framerate. Highlights includes a three-inch LCD, support for both SD and SDHC cards, and the ability to shoot stills (with LED flash) at an eight-megapixel resolution.
Reflecting the budget nature of the camera, however, stills are interpolated at that resolution, and there is no optical zoom -- camera owners must instead fall back on 2x digital magnification. The 566V HD is on sale now for $150.
Offering a preview of its first camera for 2008, JVC today unveiled the Everio GR-D850. The widescreen DV camera is designed primarily for those with small hands or newcomers turned away by the large grips of other camcorders; compared to the outgoing D750, the new model is more compact overall and 0.8 inches shorter, JVC says. Pressing an Auto button also hands over nearly all control over shooting to the camera, adjusting the picture quality and other picture settings on the fly. Its 2.7-inch wide LCD also auto-dims in low light.
